Functional Organization of Auditory Cortex

描述（由申请人提供）：本研究计划的长期目标是全面描述人类听觉皮层组织。它的结构组成是什么，它们的功能是什么？这些元素是如何共同作用产生听觉的感知体验的？当前的基本概念是由一组相互连接的皮层区域形成的区域（模块）组织系统，但所涉及的区域数量及其连接对人类来说是未知的。人类听觉皮层的可测试工作模型尚未开发，即使这样的模型是其他物种听觉皮层研究的基础。为了建立这个模型，将使用详细的神经解剖学分析来揭示构成大脑这一部分的底层结构。努力将集中在上级颞叶的颞平面上，这被认为是整合感知和解释声音所需的神经代码的重要区域。虽然经常被视为一个单一的领域，颞平面似乎包含几个领域，是解剖学和生理上不同的。颞叶将在死后获得，并处理神经元、轴突、神经丝和关键酶的标记蛋白。根据几种测量值（表面积、皮质厚度、神经元密度、光密度）对面积进行分析和比较。这项研究将以其他灵长类动物的比较研究为指导和基础，这些研究将继续为人类听觉皮层的研究提供宝贵的基础。此外，在猴子中的平行研究将集中在对应于人类颞平面的后颞叶中的连接和神经元反应特性。这项研究的相关性广泛适用于颞叶受累的患者人群，并直接支持涉及正常人群和临床人群的相关研究领域。这些包括：1）研究人脑中听觉活动的非侵入性方法（例如，功能成像）; 2）与手术、损伤或相关病理学（例如，脑血管意外，肿瘤）; 3）在听觉处理或记忆受到影响的临床人群中评价皮质功能（例如，阿尔茨海默氏症、精神分裂症、自闭症、诵读困难、癫痫、语言延迟、听力损伤和衰老）;和4）正常和临床人群中听觉皮层的成熟和基因组研究。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The long-term goal of this research program is a comprehensive description of human auditory cortex organization. What are its structural components and what are their functions? How do these elements work together to produce the perceptual experience of hearing? Underlying current conceptions is a regional (modular) system of organization formed by an interconnected group of cortical areas, but the number of areas involved and their connections are unknown for humans. A testable working model of human auditory cortex has not been developed, even though such models are fundamental to studies of auditory cortex in other species. To establish this model, detailed neuroanatomical analyses will be used to reveal the underlying structures that comprise this part of the brain. Efforts will focus on the planum temporale in the superior temporal lobe, which is thought to be an important region for integrating the neural codes required to perceive and interpret sound. Although often treated as a single area, the planum temporale appears to contain several areas that are anatomically and physiologically distinct. Temporal lobes will be obtained postmortem and processed for marker proteins of neurons, axons, neurofilaments, and key enzymes. Areas will be profiled and compared on the basis several measurements (surface area, cortical thickness, neuron density, optical density). The research will be guided and grounded by comparative studies of other primates, which continue to provide an invaluable foundation for studies of auditory cortex in humans. In addition, parallel studies in monkeys will focus on the connections and neuron response properties in the posterior temporal lobe that correspond to the human planum temporale. The relevance of this research applies broadly to patient populations in which the temporal lobe is involved, and directly supports related areas of research involving both normal and clinical populations. These include: 1) Noninvasive methods to study auditory activity in the human brain (e.g., functional imaging); 2) Neurosurgical planning and assessment of function associated with surgery, injury, or related pathology (e.g., cerebrovascular accidents, tumors); 3) Evaluation of cortical function in clinical populations in which auditory processing or memory is affected (e.g., Alzheimer's, schizophrenia, autism, dyslexia, epilepsy, language delay, hearing impairment, and aging); and 4) Maturational and genomic studies of auditory cortex in normal and clinical populations.